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Love Your Block announces 14 fall grant recipients

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Mayor William Peduto announced last week the 14 organizations that will receive funding for the seventh round of the Love Your Block grant program, a servePGH initiative.

The block revitalization program, with help from sponsors, awards $1,000 to purchase supplies and tools to implement a block improvement project that mobilizes community volunteers to transform blighted lots into neighborhood assets.

Sabrina Shaner, LYB coordinator and neighborhood service associate, says the project provides a creative and sustainable solution while “promoting public safety, encouraging real estate and pride.”

Melanie Ondek, City of Pittsburgh grants officer working with servePGH, explains that while Pittsburgh is currently growing, the city faced a declining population for five decades resulting in blight. She says community engagement efforts revitalize neighborhoods and improve the quality of life of citizens.

LYB uses “citizen service to tackle city needs,” Ondek says. She adds that, “We see our most successful projects happen when the entire block is engaged.”

The mini-grant initiative began in 2011 and has funded Pittsburgh blocks every fall and spring since its inception. Ondek says LYB has completed 104 projects and assisted 321 blocks with more than 1,000 volunteers who have removed 30,000 plus pounds of litter. Ondek adds that LYB has touched 43 of Pittsburgh’s 98 neighborhoods.

“I am happy to announce that LYB is once again uniting neighbors, community members and volunteers to improve their neighborhoods by turning blighted properties into usable green space,” says Mayor Peduto. “These projects exhibit the sense of pride and spirit of volunteerism that are regularly demonstrated by so many citizens that live in the unique neighborhoods of Pittsburgh.”

LYB is made possible thanks to Peoples Natural Gas, the PNC Foundation and The Home Depot. Peoples Natural Gas donated $15,000 and the PNC Foundation added an additional $10,000, while The Home Depot is providing $9,100 worth of supplies. LYB is also supported by the Corporation for National Community Service, the AmeriCorps VISTA program and it's based on the Cities of Service Blueprint of the same name.

Additionally, a special $2,000 prize will be given to the organization that carries out the most successful block transformation, according to identified criteria. Fall project implementation will take place from August 31 to October 31, 2014.